The present invention relates to a VDU workstation in a vehicle, and more particularly, to a vehicle workstation with a flat screen and keyboard in which the screen can be pivoted out of a stowed portion into an upright reading position.
A VDU workstation in a vehicle which provides a passenger with the possibility of working on a VDU is already known as seen, for example, in DE-Z: "Mercedes-Benz intern" (Mercedes Benz internal publication, Issue 6/89, page 11), which was presented at the Internationalen Automobil Ausstellung IAA (International Motor Show) in 1989. A conventional laptop personal computer was installed in a folding table at the rear of the backrest of the front passenger seat and was accessible from the corresponding rear seat.
This solution based on a commercially available laptop personal computer and a folding table restricts the operator to working on a quite specific, fixed seat in the vehicle which is predetermined by the location where such a folding table is mounted. If such a folding table is installed in the backrest of the front passenger seat this would be, for example, the seat located therebehind. The same remarks apply to a different solution which was disclosed in Patent Application P 40 01 448.7-21.
Each of the known solutions requires a special design of the backrest to provide sufficient stowing space for a folding table or a complete operating element of a PC. The expenditure on maintaining the comfort of the seat and suspension and protection against accidents can be considerable. There is also a requirement to be able to move a corresponding workstation within the vehicle as desired.
An object of the present invention is to provide a VDU workstation in a vehicle which, on one hand, takes up a small amount of space in the immediate surroundings of its user and, on the other hand, is not fixed, as far as its place of use is concerned, to a specific stowing location in the vehicle so that, when not in use, it can be installed easily in a conventional stowing location.
This object has been achieved in the case of a VDU workstation by dimensioning and configuring the keyboard and screen such that, when in a folded-together state in a position essentially parallel with the closed door of a correspondingly shaped glove compartment, these components can be lowered into the compartment, and providing the keyboard and glove compartment door with structure to permit the keyboard to be mounted or locked on the inner face of the door and also to weaken or suppress vibrations of the door.
According to the present invention, the VDU workstation consists essentially of a mobile working unit comprising at least one screen and one keyboard and mounting elements which can be folded up or mounted on the latter, in particular can engage thereon and permit the working unit to be fixed and used at different locations in the vehicle and to be stowed in a space-saving manner in the glove compartment of the vehicle. As a result, the restriction of only being able to work on one special seat no longer has to be accepted.
The working unit of the VDU workstation of the present invention can be configured similarly to a conventional laptop computer. A special worktable is not required. Consequently, a VDU workstation according to the present invention requires significantly less stowing space than a conventional laptop personal computer with worktable. The housing of the working unit is preferably configured with a rounded contour and provided with a soft-elastic surface. In addition, mounting elements for attaching the workstation behind a backrest are provided which are either permanently connected to the working unit and constructed so as to be folded out from the latter or else constructed as loose elements and, as such, capable of being stored in the upper area of the glove compartment. They are preferably constructed, or capable of being mounted on the working unit, such that the use position or configuration of the workstation is automatically changed or destroyed in the event of an effect of force due to an accident so that injuries in the event of an accident are effectively prevented.